


Oh how the gentle wind, Beckons through the leaves.

by Eddiekaspbraks



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-19 04:39:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8190410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eddiekaspbraks/pseuds/Eddiekaspbraks
Summary: based off Headcannons.El experiences her first October.





	1. Colors

**Author's Note:**

> So im glad people liked my headcannons i posted, and a lot of people asked for more
> 
> so i decided on a fic??
> 
> Thanks to the-weirdo-on-maple-street and reallylikeseggos on tumblr for doing beta work!  
> Ive never written fluff before, reviews and kudos are appreciated!

It was becoming cold. The breeze that hit her face, the floors of her new home, her nose even crinkled up in the morning when she rolled herself out of bed and she felt her toes curl.

 

It was October, that’s what Mike had called it. “It’s the month where things change.” he explained to her a couple weeks ago. Eleven and Mike were biking around town one afternoon, Karen had sent them on a small grocery run for dinner that night and the store had signs and colorful decorations that each had something spelled o-c-t-o-b-e-r on them.  When they returned that evening, the question ate at her during their campaign time and all through dinner. So when Dustin and Lucas had left and Will was occupied, she gently tugged on Mike’s sleeve for him to explain.

 

“Leaves fall and grass dies. It starts to get really cold here and there's a holiday called Halloween where you eat tons of candy and dress up.” Further puzzled, she asked him to elaborate more so he pulled out something called a calendar, which led on an hour conversation about the months and fall traditions.

 

“Leaves?” El asked quizzically.

 

“Yeah, after you rake them up into big piles, you jump in them.”

 

El’s face twisted further into confusion, a face that made Mike Wheeler’s heart skip a beat and laugh at her furrowed brow.

 

“Don’t worry, its fun! When it’s October I’ll show you, promise.”

 

She had left the Wheeler’s house that night with Mike’s promise tugging at her mind, and since then, every day she had been counting the leaves that fell off the trees. She asked Joyce for her own calendar the next day, which was pink with kittens on the cover, and happily ticked off the rest of days of September as they passed.

 

So now, it was October 1st and it was cold.

 

Eleven slipped out from underneath her warm covers and tiptoed her way out into the living room. Joyce, already awake and ready to leave for her day shift at the store, was drinking coffee and was deep in thought when she heard the creaking of the floorboards that signaled El’s approach.

 

“Good morning sweetheart!” Joyce cooed, “Did you sleep well last night?”

 

El curled furthermore into herself as she felt a shiver run down her spine. “C-Cold.” Joyce replied with a soft laugh and tugged El into a tight hug and rubbed at her shoulders to warm her up.

 

“That’s October in Hawkins for you. How about I whip up some breakfast for you before I head out for the day?” El nodded with enthusiasm which made Joyce let out another laugh before strolling into the kitchen. El was not going to let the cold keep her from her eggos.

 

Amongst breakfast talk of the day's events El had planned, which included heading to the Wheelers, Will had woken up and joined the two at the kitchen table with his own set of freezer waffles and steaming cup of something that smelled wonderful and sweet.

 

“It’s called hot chocolate,” Will explained, noticing she was staring and decided it was probably something she’d never had before.

 

“Hot… chocolate?” El raised an eyebrow, which made Will smile. He pushed the warm mug towards her.

 

“You can try some, it’s really good! It’s like chocolate, but in drinking form.”

 

And El did like chocolate, sweets were one of her favorite things. Besides the fact that she mostly ate them during that long week in 1983, she would often sneak chocolate bars into the grocery cart when she was with Jonathan. Joyce says she has something called a sweet tooth, but El didn't taste anything sweet about her teeth.

 

El wrapped her hands around the warm mug and immediately let a smile slip on her face. It was a good warm, a warm that reminded her of Mike and her friends. The type of warm you feel during a hug or when you crawl into bed after a long day.

 

She brought the cup to her lips and took a small sip, which turned into a medium sip, which turned into a big sip.

 

“Hey!” Will laughed out jokingly as he watched her down the entire mug in 20 seconds tops. It was more than good, it was almost the best thing she had ever tasted (but not as great as eggos). The warmness spread with each sip, and the cold chills she had been feeling all morning washed away.

 

When she pulled the mug away, Will laughed at her ‘chocolate moustache’. Joyce, with a beaming smile, kissed the two kids atop their heads and headed out the door for work.

 

About 3 hours later, Eleven is pulling on a familiar blue jacket and tugging on her shoes to head to the Wheeler’s. Jonathan, dressed in his own coat and scarf, heads out the door to start the car's heater. Although it helped a little, El’s teeth still chattered the whole way there.

 

When they arrived at the Wheeler’s, Eleven was in awe at the big piles of leaves that were laid out every which way. The colors that were mixed into each other made her go wide eyed and forget all about the cold, bitter air that stung her nose and hands.

 

Mike answers the door in his pajamas, and rubs the sleep out of his eyes before a smile slips onto his face. He knew she would show up, it’s the first of October and he wasn't going to break his promise. He spent all afternoon yesterday raking the front and back yard of his house just for today.

 

And judging by the look on her face, she was just as excited as he was.

 

He pulled her through the door as they both waved and said goodbye to Jonathan, who smiled the whole way home. The Wheeler’s house was warm, and El felt her hands and nose start to thaw.

 

“Warm,” she whispered as she looked around the Wheeler’s home, which was now decorated in the same colors she had seen in the leaves. She made a mental note to ask Mike about them and what they meant later.

 

“Yeah we have the heater on, it’s like a big machine that heats your home,” he answered with a smile. “Do you want some hot choco-”

 

He was cut off by El’s enthusiastic nodding, which made him throw his head back in laughter and start for the kitchen, with El close on his heels.

 

“You don’t have any mittens?”  Mike noticed her bare hands as they walked through the back door towards the pile of leaves.

 

Leaving the warmness of the Wheeler’s house and the hot chocolate behind, the cold stung her hands and nose once again. El replied with a shake of the head and grabbed his hand, which was hidden by his own soft, dark blue mittens.

 

“No wonder you are always cold, your hands are freezing!” He squeezed her hand as he lead her through the yard to the biggest piles of leaves he had made.

 

The morning breeze had blown some of the piles apart, so Mike picked up the rake and began forming the piles again while El’s attention was yet again grabbed by the colors. Browns and yellows, dark oranges and reds. They were so different than the colors she knew made up summer, and they were strangely comforting.

 

“Mike,” El spoke up over the breeze and the scratching noise of the rake.

 

“Yeah, El?” He paused his raking and used his shoe to start pushing some leaves back into place.

 

“What are these colors?”

 

He raised an eyebrow, because he knew she knew all the colors. They had gone into a full discussion one day, which ended with her declaring her favorite color pink, and a full 20 minutes of Mike blushing because he thought it was cute.

 

“Well there’s red, orange, brown-”  He started to respond but was interrupted by a playful bump to the shoulder, and a furrowed brow.

 

“I know what they are.. I meant, what do they mean?”

 

He responded with a small laugh. “Sorry El, I thought that’s what you meant.”

 

He finally had pushed the last of the leaves into the pile and grabbed her hand once more.

 

“Uhm, well, when leaves change its because in the winter everything dies, it’s the same with grass,” He pointed towards the ground and he was right, she remembered rolling in tall bright green grass and warm air hit her face instead of bitter cold. “In the spring things grow, but in the fall it’s sort of like... preparing for the winter.”

 

She nodded slowly, her eyes still stuck on the grass and past summer memories, memories of things called BBQ’s and nights getting lost under the stars with her friends.

 

“So you ready?”

 

El blinked up at Mike, the summer's memories fading away from her mind. She nodded eagerly which was met with a classic Wheeler smile and they both took a few steps back. “On the count of three, okay?”

 

She once again nodded, and he laughed at her determined face.

 

“One.” She tightened her grip on his hand.

 

“Two.” She saw him turn a bright red, but she figured it was just the cold air.

“T-Three.”

 

They both leaped and jumped, and one minute it was freckles and blue mittens and the next it was the smell of leaves and a blanket of colors. They were still holding each other's hands tightly, Mike giggling as if it was the most fun he had since school started (it was). El was lost in the colors falling around her as she stared at the blue sky above, the brisk air now a forgotten problem. The oranges and reds blended together and gently danced down around her, while Mike's laugh brought her own smile upon her lips.

  
El thought it was the prettiest sight she had ever seen.


	2. Decorations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El goes shopping,  
> Mike blushes too much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the-weirdo-on-maple-street for beta
> 
> this is a week late.

It was a Wednesday afternoon, and although the sun was high and shining, clouds drifted above and the cold breeze still stood strong. Eleven was starting to get used to the bitterness that nipped at her skin and stung her lungs, but last week’s events with Mike had made Joyce realize that Eleven really didn’t have any proper clothes for the fall. She had a few pairs of jeans, some hand me down long sleeved shirts from Jonathan, and would occasionally come home with Mike's clothes, but nothing really of her own. Eleven had been asked before and said that the clothes she had were just fine, but Joyce had finally gave into her motherly instinct. That’s why they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, in 50 degree weather, on a Wednesday afternoon.

 

Joyce had woken her up this morning at 10 AM, and although she awoke with a frown and a chill from the coldness that invaded her room during the night, she now didn't mind the soft breeze that hit her hands as the sun above took away most of the coldness. They passed countless stores, stores that made her eyes dart between all the colors in the windows that reminded her of the leaves.

 

“So anything new with the Wheelers?” Joyce asked as they both strolled down the street, the afternoon glow reflecting off the glass of the passing shops

 

“Decorations. Hall-o-ween.” she answered. She still had trouble with that word, but found herself getting better at it the more she hung out with Mike and the boys.

 

“Leave it to Mrs. Wheeler to be the first of the parents to be ready for that holiday. Mike used to go crazy over it!”.

 

“Hall-o-ween?”

 

“Of course! Don’t tell him I told you, but when he was younger, he would get so dressed up, he’d have his costume picked out way before anyone else. In fact, I may have some old photos of Will and him,” Joyce teased, knowing the older photos would embarrass the poor Wheeler boy.

 

She was still stuck on the word ‘costume.’ She knew it meant something, she heard Mike use it countless times over the past week. “Costume?”

 

“Oh right! So on Halloween, everyone dresses up.” Joyce pointed to a passing store, where in the window stood mannequins dressed in weird outfits. “See? That one’s a pumpkin, and that one’s a witch.” The words, all new to Eleven, made her nose scrunch up and her brows furrow.

 

“Why?”

 

“Why dress up? Well I suppose there’s various different reasons for everyone, but it’s fun and when you dress up. You go from house to house and go trick or treating,” Joyce answered while they finally had reached their destination and excitedly hurried a still confused Eleven inside. Eleven mentally noting the words ‘trick or treat’ so she could ask about it later.

 

It was a small shop on the end corner of the street, the colors inside slightly different than those in the other shops, lighter and sweeter, they reminded her of that dress she wore that time ago.

 

The store clerk smiled and waved her hello before engaging in a conversation with another customer, while Joyce quickly got to work looking through the racks of clothing. Over the period of time Eleven had been living with her, Joyce had quickly gotten to know what the girl liked and what she did not.

 

“You can pick out anything you want okay?” Joyce added as she removed a dark green sweater from the rack before shaking her head and shoving it back.

 

Eleven nodded to herself and slowly made her way through the interweaving colors of the store. She walked down aisles of different clothes, from dresses to sweaters, jackets and t-shirts, all in different colors and shades. She let her hand touch each one, the various feelings of each of them making her curious as ever, why were some soft? Why were some smooth? She smiled at the familiar colors before her, the colors that she saw in the leaves and colors that reminded her of her friends.

 

She had turned to make her way back to Joyce, who had her arms full of various different clothes for her, but stopped when she noticed a jacket down the next aisle.

 

It was ‘yellow.’ That’s what Will had taught her one day when she had joined him in drawing. But it wasn’t the yellow of the sun, or the yellow of the buses that she had seen pass on the streets in hawkins, not even of that crayon she used that day. It was a soft yellow, a yellow that reminded her of mornings, flowers, and of that dress she wore.  

 

She didn't even notice a smiling Joyce standing next to her, and blinked away her thoughts when she was nudged.

 

“That is a nice jacket isnt it?”

 

She just nodded, but was taken aback when Joyce,arms already full of clothes, reached up and add the jacket to her ever growing collection.

 

After about an hour of weaving their way through aisles and racks of clothing, Joyce had brought her arms full of clothing to the register up front. Although most of the clothes were picked out by Joyce herself, Eleven had picked out a nice pair of boots along with the jacket and a couple scarves Joyce insisted she needed. They exited the store with four bags full of different colors and shapes, and although she still protested Joyce buying her all these unneeded clothes, she couldn't help but smile back at the giddy woman in front of her.

 

* * *

  


“Wow.” Was the first thing anyone said which, of course, was Dustin. She had just gotten halfway down the basement stairs, the noise of her brand new boots hitting the wood was loud enough to bring all four boys attentions from their campaign to her. Lucas made an acknowledging face, Will just smiled his brotherly smile, while she noticed Mike was stuck still. By the time she had reached the bottom of the stairs and made her way over to the table where the boys sat,

 

“That’s a really cool jacket El!” Dustin exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, it definitely is! Right, Mike?” Lucas teased.

 

“Yeah...it’s really, good.” Mike took the opportunity to turn his face back to the game board quickly, his eyes wide and all he could think was ‘oh my god, oh my god’

 

She took her usual seat between Will and Mike, although she didn’t really play along in the campaign with them, she would sometimes use her powers to make the game more exciting, and she usually liked watching. She liked the sound of her friends laughs as they echoed through the room, and she liked hearing about the detailed stories Mike had always made up in under a couple weeks. But she was a little off today, Mike had noticed, a look of confusion stuck on her face and she would often catch him glancing over every couple minutes.

 

“Did mom take you shopping?” Will had leaned over to examine her new coat, which in return she just nodded.

 

“Let me guess… thee bags?” he asked with a smile.

 

“Four,” she quietly corrected.

 

Will just let out a laugh “Well, it is a nice jacket, El.”

 

“Hey! Byers, eyes on the prize please!.” Dustin shouted, dragging Wills attention back to the game in front of him. Apparently El had just entered at a suspenseful time where they had to make a choice on which path to take, but of course, each of them had their own opinions.

 

While the boys were deep in their usual bickering, she tugged on Mike’s sleeve

 

“What is, trick or treating?” she asked, the words left her mouth slow and odd, like she wasn't saying it right.

 

“Oh, uhm… Trick or treating it’s like another tradition you do, on Halloween. You dress up and you go out at night, you go from house to house and collect candy,” Mike explained with a smile on his face.

 

“Why? she questioned.

 

“Uhh, I don't know. Just for fun, I guess.” he replied with a shrug.

 

Her face scrunched for a few seconds before she thought back to what Joyce had said before, that Mike loved halloween. She quickly mimicked his smile and he turned back towards his party.

 

“Okay, so where were we?”

  


It was evening by the time they all rode out on their bikes, but not too dark, the sun was just starting to go down so they figured they had about a half hour to roam the streets before they would be called back to a worried Mrs. Wheeler. She took her regular place on the back of Mike’s bike, and the cool evening air set in.

 

“We really need to get you some gloves.” Mike exclaimed as they took off down the Wheelers street. And he wasn’t wrong, her hands were cold, and she silently frowned to herself that she had forgotten to pick some out today while she was out with Joyce.

 

While they were riding, Mike pointed out all the houses that had the best candy for trick or treating. He said that there was countless types of candies at each house, and how the two neighbors at the end of the street gave away big huge bars of chocolate and if you were lucky you could sneak back and get 2. They rode past houses with  warm lights out front that gave off an orange glow and pumpkins that lined the walk ways. But one house in particular caught El’s eye and made her grip on Mike’s side tighten.

 

It was a smaller house towards the end of the street, and different than the other past house, the lights were a dark purple, and a big pieces of cloth that looked like a people hung from the trees while spider web trailed the houses walls.

 

“They aren’t real” Mike spoke out of the silence, the cool breeze halted as  he had stopped on the side of the street.

“They are just.. different. Sometimes people like to make their decorations a little more scary than those at my house.”

 

She realized her grip was tighter than usual and she quickly released his side.

“Sorry.”

 

“Its okay, don’t worry. They aren’t real, okay?” Mike shot her a soft smile over his shoulder, and his freckles matched the stars that started to glow above them.

 

“Come on you two, I bet I can beat you to the end of the street! Loser has to give up their dessert for the night!” Dustin shouted out ahead of them.

 

Mike rolled his eyes “Okay!”

 

She wrapped her arm around him again once more as he pushed off on his bike. His face was red again, but she was sure it was just the cold night air.

 

It was 9 pm when Jonathan arrived to pick up both Will and Eleven. Mrs. Wheeler had made a turkey dinner that night complete with something called pumpkin pie for dessert. Of course Mike had won the race with maybe a little help from El, so they each got to share  a second piece while Dustin pouted and stole from Lucas’s plate. It was a sweet dessert, orange and bright like the pumpkins she saw outside and in the stores, she made another note to herself to ask Joyce about it later, but she silently declared it her new favorite sweet.

 

As they were leaving, Karen quickly brought a big bowl full of shiny colorful  wrappers and placed two in her hand before saying her goodbyes and flicking on the front lights. She scrunched the wrappers in her hand as they walked down the cool pathway to the car.

 

She frowned down at the two pieces in her hand, she had never seen these before.

 

“They’re tootsie rolls.” Will exclaimed next to her.

 

“They’re like, gooey chocolate pieces.”

 

“Like Pudding?” She questioned

 

Which in return made the Byers boys both laugh as they all climbed into the car.

 

“No not like pudding, more like… well, it’s hard to explain. But they are really good! They are one of my favorites!”

 

She frowned back down at the two pieces, before unwrapping the one and slowly popping it into her mouth.

 

It reminded her of the hot chocolate that now accompanied her morning eggos. It was hard at first but turned soft and smooth. And Will was right, it wasn't like chocolate pudding, but it still couldn't compare to the pumpkin pie she had before.

 

“Good?”

 

“Good.”

 

They both smiled at each other, before she moved her eyes to the world outside the window. The sun now completely set and the dark blues of the night sky washed over Hawkins. She watched as the stars from before now grew brighter, and the dark forest around them cast shadows on the pavement as they passed.

 

If this is what fall had to offer, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.


	3. The Pumpkin Patch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El just wants it to be Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big thanks to flea-and-the-acrobat and the-weirdo-on-maple-street for betas, they are the best.
> 
> this i s a couple days late. last chapter will be up on halloween.

It was one week from Halloween, one week and she was becoming impatient. All the leaves had fallen off the surrounding trees of Hawkins now, and Eleven had come to love the cold breeze instead of hating it. She enjoyed the hot chocolate and colors and the new things she was learning about seasons and decorations. Joyce had dropped her off at 3 this afternoon, after the boys had returned home from school and although they  protested against leaving and wanted to stay and hang out with El, Mike had promised her, and he told them it was a day for just them to spend together. Which made her stomach twist in a good way.

 

There were thick clouds in the sky by the time they had both reached the train tracks behind the Wheeler house. The leaves beneath both of them crunched with each step and the sound of it made El giggle to herself and breathe in the now not so rigid air. The days they spent on the tracks were days full of talking and original Wheeler jokes, flushed cheeks and hand holding. El would often just listen to his voice and get so caught up in his stories of the week that she didn't realize the setting sun or that they had wound back up at  his home.

But she cherished each minute she spent walking those tracks in those woods, and she enjoyed every leaf she crunched.

 

“So I got an A on my science report today, and we got assigned a new reading in English…”

Mikes face changed from contemplation to a smile.

 

“And then in the cafeteria, Dustin spilled his milk all over the girl he likes.” He let out a laugh

 

His laugh always made her smile

 

“Likes? A friend?” El inquired, she was still learning new words and feelings and although she was starting to understand that there was liking someone and then there was liking liking someone. she still couldn't tell which the boys talked about sometimes.

 

She noticed Mike’s face turn a light pink as he let out another chuckle “No, no, more than a friend…. The kind of like where you want to hold hands and stuff.” Mike moved his eyes to the crunching leaves under him as he awkwardly pretended to brush hair out of his face.

 

“Like us?” El asked after hesitation.

 

Mikes eyes widened and the light pink turned into a dark red as he tripped over his own feet. Her brow scrunched and she looked down at her hands. Did she say something wrong?

 

“Yeah…. Like us.” Mike trailed off at the end of his sentence as he regained his balance.

 

Mike stuffed his hands in his pockets and his face expanded into a grin again as he let out a guilty laugh.

 

“I can't believe I forgot, I'm such a wastoid…. I got you these.”

 

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and in them he held two pink mittens. Her eyes widened at the light frilly pieces of cloth in his hands and she gently took one in her hands, a smile drifted onto her face.

 

“Warm.”

 

“Yeah! Now your hands won’t be as freezing,” he teased as she shot him a glare. “Here.”

 

He helped slide both of them onto her hands and watched as her face lit up. Even though she was used to the bitter breeze of Hawkins’ fall, she was told it was just going to get colder as it turned more more into Winter and was thankful Mike was as kind as he is.

She watched as the grin grew on his face and each freckle danced on his skin. She liked those freckles.

 

She grabbed his hand, the pink of her new mittens intertwining with the dark blue of his and softly replied

 

“Thank you.”

 

The red tint on his face rekindled again and he itched a non existent itch on the back of his neck.

 

“I-It’s no problem!” he stammered and turned back towards the tracks, and soon the silence was filled with the crunching of the leaves and more stories from the day.

 

They returned back to the Wheelers by sun down and hung their coats and mittens by the front door before making their way to the dining table where a hot meal was ready to be served. It was turkey, with a side of corn and some sort of potato dish, and although it made her nose wrinkle Mike promised it was delicious so she piled her plate full. They had glasses full of something called apple cider which made her taste buds dance, and Mike smiled at the satisfied expression on her face.

 

Karen served Holly her own bit of food and  Nancy quickly dug into her own meal, as a sleeping Ted snored in the other room.

 

“So what’s happening at the Byers?” Karen asked with a smile.

 

El, who had just finished stuffing some of the potatoes into her mouth, looked up at Karen. She admired Mrs. Wheeler but sometimes became tongue-tied when she asked questions. Even simple ones.

 

“Nothing really mom, just the regular. I think Jonathan got a new job at the Nicholson record shop in town. Right El?” Mike spoke up with a full mouth.

 

El just nodded and shot a smile back at Mrs. Wheeler.

 

“Well that’s good for him! I’m sure Will is thrilled. Oh, there’s also a pumpkin patch fair tomorrow! I thought maybe you guys would want to carve some jack-o-lanterns if you want to go pick some out.” Karen suggested, as she scooped some corn off her plate and onto Holly's.

 

El saw Mike’s face light up and she silently repeated the word to herself. Jack-o-lantern was a word she had also heard Mike use before. Her face scrunched and she made the note to ask him about it later that night.

 

“I’ll call the boys’ moms after supper. Maybe they’d like to come.”

 

* * *

 

“Jack-o-lantern?”

 

They had been watching the tv down in the basement as they always did on these days, tucked away in the blanket fort. She had removed her pink mittens Mike had gifted her  to hold his hand, and the colors bounced across the screen and reflected on their faces.

 

“Hm?” Mike pulled his attention away from the tv.

 

“What is Jack-o-lantern?” she repeated quietly

 

“Oh, it’s a pumpkin you carve. You turn it into funny faces, and when you’re done, you stick a candle in it and place it outside for Halloween.” Mike replied as he leaned back on his arms.

 

She nodded to herself, she was getting used to all the weird traditions that took place during this month.

 

“We usually have a contest on who can carve the best face. Will usually wins, but I think I could beat him this year,” Mike snickered to himself and smiled over at El.

 

They don’t know what time they fell asleep under the warm blankets and soft glowing light of the tv, but the next morning they arose early to a hollering Dustin coming down the stairs. They quickly threw on their coats and gloves, ready for a brisk morning at the fair.

 

El watched as the passing trees turned into open fields where pumpkins laid every which way.

 

Although Dustin usually got the seat in the wagon, he let El have the spot. The rest of the kids pushed and pulled their way around the field, stopping every so often to look at the patches.

 

“It's too tall. There isn’t enough room to carve.”

 

“Says you, Sinclair! This is a winner right here!” Dustin lugged the pumpkin, to the best of his ability, onto the wagon as Will contemplated two smaller ones in the back.

 

“You definitely won't win with one of those, Byers,” Dustin teased as he patted his own pumpkin.

“Way too small.”

 

“Yeah well, we’ll see, Henderson.” Will replied.

 

The voices of their friends faded out as Mike and El spent their own time searching through the patches of orange gourds, their hands brushing against each other every so often and the soft breeze moving across their skin.

 

“So El, any ideas for halloween costumes?”

 

“Costumes?”

 

“Yeah, I thought that maybe you’d want to pick them out. We were thinking about doing a group, you know, something we can all do together,” he explained as he tried to decide between two pumpkins.

 

“You don’t have to pick right away, you can-”

 

“Star wars?” El blurted out as her face lit up.

 

Mike, astounded, hesitated before asking, “Are you sure? Cause you can always think about it, I mean it’s still a week away.”

  
"i'm sure." El replied with a small smile on her face.

 

“Oh, okay, cool.”

 

“Cool.”

 

Soon enough their attention was back on the patches that laid out in front of them, but El was more focused on the red in Mikes cheeks.

 

* * *

 

By the afternoon, Mike had found a perfectly round one and El finally chose a lopsided one full of small dots that reminded her of Mike’s freckles. Dustin and Will continued to bicker about who would win this year up until they climbed back into the Wheelers car, Lucas rolling his eyes. El’s eyes were back on the passing fields and the blue sky above, the car radio drowning out most of her thoughts.

 

“Star wars?!” Dustin and Lucas shouted from the back.

 

Karen half slamming on her breaks. “Boys!”

 

“Sorry, Mrs. Wheeler,” they replied in unison.

 

“I can’t believe we never thought of that before! El, you’re a genius!” Lucas exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, well I call Han!” Dustin exclaimed with a smile

 

“You can’t be Han! Han doesn’t have curly hair” Mike argued.

 

“So what? Are you going to be him?”

 

“I don’t know, Maybe”

 

“I think I choose Luke,” Will quietly stated from in between the two bickering boys.

 

“Who are you going to be, El?” Lucas inquired.

 

“Le-ia” She pronounced slowly, she had trouble with some of the names from Star Wars before, and still sometimes messed up on saying Vader. But she thought Leia was pretty and she definitely liked her hair, something completely different from her short pixie she had now.

 

Mike felt his cheeks heat up, and Dustin teased him the rest of the ride home.

* * *

 

“Sorry Wheeler, El definitely wins this one.”

 

“Oh come on you guys, I spent hours!” Mike shouted as he covered his eyes. His fingers covered in pumpkin guts.

 

“Dude, it’s a portrait of you! None of us topped that!” Dustin shouted back as he pointed at Els pumpkin.

 

“He does have a point Mike.” Will pipped up from the corner as he examined his own lantern and then hers.

 

Mike let out an exhausted groan, before slumping down on the couch next to El.

 

“Hey you never made a rule against superpowers!” Dustin teased.

 

That night they placed their creations outside, and lit the candles within them. The soft glow illuminated their coats, and the small hint of a fire warmed them. Mikes cheeks flushed at the fact that there was a pumpkin with a portrait of him outside his front door. They sat on the front lawn, something they usually did in the summer, and stared up at the stars that began appearing as the dusk faded into night.  

 

Dustin joked about the past years’ pumpkin competitions and El removed her left mitten just to hold Mike’s hand.

 

The laughter of her friends filled her ears, and there was no place she’d rather be.

 


	4. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a day late, sorry
> 
> The-weirdo-on-maple-street and sstrangerthaneleven for betas!
> 
> Thanks for reading this one guys!

Today was the 31st of October. It was the 31st and that meant Halloween. She had been waiting for this day since Mike first explained to her everything that was to be on Halloween. She had been impatient for the past weeks, eagerly watching the sky fade to black and watching stars move past.  Sometimes her impatience even kept her up at night, wondering what would happen on Halloween. Although she would regret the sleeplessness in the morning, she'd think back to her thoughts and dreams of a night full of her friends’ laughter and eating sweets until her tummy ached. 

 

She awoke with smile on her face, but tiredness still weighing on her eyes. She shuffled out from under her warm sheets and into her green hand me down slippers which she had gotten from Joyce a few weeks ago, and trudged out of her room and down the hallway. It smelled of Eggos and chocolate, a sickly-sweet smell that would probably make a normal person nauseous, but to her it smelled like home and warmth. 

 

She reached the threshold between the open living room and the hallway and was greeted by a bubbly Joyce who already had a coffee in her hand and a robe tightly wrapped around her. 

 

She took her usual seat at the kitchen table and let the morning feeling soak in. A plate was placed in front of her, full of two eggos, a side of scrambled eggs and a mug filled to the brim with steaming hot chocolate. Three marshmallows and a dollop of whipped cream. 

 

She smiled up at Joyce and replied with a quiet thank you. Before pouring syrup on her eggs, which in return made Joyce laugh and pour herself another cup of coffee. 

 

“I think I need to have a talk with that Wheeler Boy.” 

 

Her smile grew.

 

After breakfast and talking over Joyce’s favorite memories of Halloween, which included stealing a jack-o-lantern out of her old neighbor’s yard with a young Jim Hopper, El couldnt stop the question that was eating at her tongue.

 

“Is it ready?” she finally managed to pipe up. She set down her mug which was now empty, marshmallows and all. 

 

“Why don’t you come see for yourself?” Joyce smiled and moved from the kitchen to the living room.

 

El slowly followed after, her feet shuffling on the wooden floors. She was excited, but worried. Excited for her costume, excited for everyones costume, but worried. What if the costume didn’t look right? What if she didn’t look pretty like Leia did?

 

She followed Joyce to the couch and her worries were washed away. Laid out was the beautiful white gown she had seen on the screen and it was everything she hoped for. Joyce had sewn it herself, making sure it fit just right for El, and even brought together the belt and found a pair of white shoes that matched at a local thrift store. The wig was a team effort between Karen and Joyce, they spent one afternoon looking through wig shops until they found the perfect one and spent a weekend styling it. 

 

El was speechless, she touched the fabric of the gown in between her fingers, and examined the accessories and finally breathed out.

 

“Pretty.”

 

“Oh, one more thing.” Joyce ran to the closet and returned with her hands behind her back.

 

“Every trick or treater needs a basket for their candy.” she pulled from behind her back a basket shaped like a pumpkin, that although was made of plastic, had a jack-o-lantern face on it, which reminded her of Dustin.

 

El giggled and quickly wrapped her arms around the beaming Byers in front of her.

 

“Thank you,” she whispered softly.

 

“What’s going on?” Will emerged from the hallway into the living room, still rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

 

“Costume.” El pointed to the matching Luke Skywalker costume laid out on the coffee table, which made Will’s sleepiness disappear instantly as he hurried over.

 

“This looks great, Mom! Did you see the detail on this belt El?” Will exclaimed and soon, Will was deep into conversation about Star Wars and pointing out all the small details his mom had put into both their costumes, as El nodded back in agreement. Joyce who was proud of her work, smiled to herself and walked back to the kitchen for her third cup of coffee.

 

Jonathan woke up an hour later to the sound of cartoons, the smell of coffee, and drawings of pumpkins and bats laid out every which way. 

* * *

  
  


They show up an hour early to the Wheelers, El says it's because she wants to make sure she's ready, but really she's just excited. She takes in the breeze, and it feels different. Its cooler but it feels warm, it feels like pumpkins and leaves, it feels like Halloween. She smiles as she and the Byers family walk up the pathway to the Wheelers house,costumes in hand. New pumpkins were placed since she was last here and more leaves scattered the yard, fake spiderwebs scatter the arch way to the door and paper bats hang from the porch light. They reach the door and Will rings the doorbell twice like he always does, and Jonathan nudges El when he notices the pumpkin with a perfect portrait of a certain Wheeler and she feels her cheeks warm up.

 

Nancy answers the door in a cat costume, one with a pin on tail and small ears, shes dressed in all black. El beams up at the older girl and they all push into the Wheelers warm house. Jonathan hands Nancy a mixtape before being pulled away by his mother into the Wheelers kitchen to help. 

  
  


Nancy offers to help El get ready and rushes her upstairs into the familiar room she explored those months ago. She takes in all the new changes and posters before taking a seat on Nancy's bed across from the mirror. 

 

Nancy closes the door behind her and turns on the small portable cassette player that sits on her dresser, popping in the new mix Jonathan had handed her, and quickly got to work on El.

 

El patiently sat as she felt the various brushes flow over her skin and Nancy’s hands carefully work against her scalp, and she  let the music drown out her thoughts and the soft breeze that blew in from her window wash her away to a new world of pumpkins and leaves.

* * *

 

About 45 minutes later, the rest of the boys arrived and had huddled downstairs to perfect their costumes. Dustin had chosen Chewbacca while lucas showed up in an impeccable darth vader costume. Mike who had been sitting in his han solo costume all day, patiently sat and awkwardly played with his hair as he waited for El to come down and watched as Will and Lucas got into a lightsaber battle. He was hoping he didn't look like too much of a loser in the costume, but he would never admit to wanting to impress el in front of his friends.

Finally a creak was heard from the steps  and they all turned their attentions to the perfect Leia walking down the stairs. Nancy didn't go overboard, but added some nice lipgloss and small glitter of eyeshadow, while the wig and costume did the rest.

 

“Whoa.” Lucas Dustin a and Will said in unison.

 

“Man i wish my mom knew how to sew.” Dustin groaned under his breath.

 

El just smiled back and Mike was too busy blushing to hear his own thoughts.

* * *

  
  


After a quick supper and a group photo, which consisted of Will and Lucas in a lightsaber fight pose, dustin and Mike with  toothy smiles in the back, and El who kneeled in the front, the kids marched themselves out into the cold rigid night air of Hawkins and followed the small crowds of people that were going up and down the streets.

  
  


They went from door to door with smiles, and a dustin in the back who’d crack jokes about passing costumes. The parents walked 20 feet behind chatting about the past month and the upcoming one, Jonathan and Nancy walk even further back. Mike and El held hands all night, and she’d sometimes steal candy from his basket when he didn't think he noticed, but he did.

  
  


After about  2 hours of jokes and candy the kids grew tired and trucked back home with baskets full of sweets. Jonathan snaps more pictures, before the parents are all begged for a sleepover which they all happily agree too. El tightly hugs Joyce goodnight  as she leaves and whispers a last thank you, which Joyce is sure she heard the beginning of tears.

 

The kids huddle in the basement with their baskets and sweets still dressed in full costume and watch scary movies which make them all scream and shout at the top of their lungs. Nancy hangs out for a little before saying her goodnights and giving a quarter of her candy gatherings to El. In between movies, dustin and Will tell stories about past halloweens and about the time Lucas got so scared he almost peed his pants, which Lucas proudly denied. But El got lost in her train of thought half way through the stories and made up her own in her mind about what could have been if life hadn't been  just  labs and experiments.

 

They all fall asleep in their costumes, Dustin first, then Will, then Lucas, and soon it's just El and Mike left half  awake in the dark room decorated in bats and ghosts, illuminated by the tv screen. El watched as the ending credits rolled by and occasionally felt her hand being squeezed by a half asleep mike next to her.

 

Soon the room was filled with  quiet breathing and small snores from Dustin, the blankets littered in different candy wrappers. 

 

And She thinks that if  _ October was this amazing, she couldn't wait for November. _

  
And soon she drifted off to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> over the garden wall for writing music


End file.
